Package



Patented Dec. 21, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE, g

2,102,702 PACKAGE Andrew, M. Hall, Cambria, Va. 'Application January 28, 1937, Serial No. 122,830`

1; Claim.

The present invention relates to closures for bags, more specifically designed for use with the usual type of flour sack.

Flourl sacks have long been closed by bringing the top portions of thewalls of the bag into two side-by-side parallel reaches, then gathering these parallel reaches into a compact', substantially cylindrical bundle, and then wrapping a cord around the bundle, and tying it, tightly by vmeans of a so-called millers knot.l This has proved al satisfactory method of closing flour sacks during a very-long period of time except for one feature. The portion of the gathered walls that extends above thev strands that tie the sack 151' has a tendency to expand or unfold itself, with the result that an inverted conical arrangement is formed above the cords. This conical structure has an open top which is available for the reception of dirt, dust and bugs. When iiour sacks are stored upon shelves, as they often are for rather long period of time, or when they are loaded into a railroad car, dirt collects in varying quantities in these cones and works its way down to al point adjacent the tying strands. When the'strands are loosened in the operation of opening the sack, the dirt falls into the interior of Vthe bag and becomes mixed with the flour, sometimes rendering it unfit for use, and in any case resulting in Ian unsightly and unsanitary condition of the flour occupying the upper portion of the sack.

The object of the present invention is to provide a novel form of protector for rendering the gathered top of the bag inaccessible to dirt or other foreign matter.

Another object is to provide such a protector which will not add materially to the cost of packaging iiour, either through substantially increased material cost.' or in the time required to close the bags. Y

Still another object is to provide a novel method of closing and tying bags of the iiour sack type.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a iiour sack having the protector applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one form of protector.

Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the protector applied to a sack.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a modified form of protector.

Figure 5 is a perspective View showing a different embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6 is a. sectional View through the top portion of a flour sack showing one step in the process of closing a bag having theembodiment shown in Figure 6. f

Figure 7 is an elevation showing the completely closed and tied structure of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 6.

Describing the drawing more particularly, one embodiment of the invention is .illustrated in Figure 1, in which a ilour sack of the ordinary type is illustrated at l0, the flour sack having al body portion formed of walls I IA which are illustrated .as having been gathered at their tops into a bundle |2fextending upwardly from the top portion of the body. 5

Referring to Figure 4, one form of the device is illustrated in section as applied toa bag having its top gathered into a bundle. 'Ihe`cord [3 tightly compressesV the bundle walls l2 at the pointV which it surrounds, but above the cordjas; shown at I5, the bundle has a tendency to reassume its ungathered form, resulting in a roughly conical arrangement having an open mouth'at I6 at its top. y

In order to prevent access of foreign matter to this open mouth l5, a protector is slipped V'over the bundle l2 before it is miei..V4 The protect@ may take any one of a variety of different forms and may be composed of any suitable material that answers certain requirements. The protector must be flexible in order that it may surround the bundles snugly and be capable of being fastened bythe ordinary tying strand. It must be inextensive, inasmuch as it is not intended that the structure of this invention add materially to the costI of packaged flour. The `material that is regarded at present as being most suitable is the product known as Cellophane, this material being flexible and inexpensive and capable of formation into structures of the desired shape. It is also tough and sufliciently resistent to the usage to which flour sacks are ordinarily subjected to form an entirely satisfactory protector. Obviously paper of suitable qualities or textile fabrics might be used.

In Figure 2 one form of protector is illustrated. This protector is in the form of a tapering cup I1 having side walls I8 and a bottom I9. This article may be formed from a single circular blank by any suitable method and the tapering side walls I8 are formed by overlapping pleats, indicated at I9a.

In Figure 4 a diiferent form is illustrated, the form here being shown as a conical structure 20 which may also be manufactured from a single circular blank.

Instead of preformed protectors as shown in Figures 2 and 4, blanks of sheet material may be used by forming them around the bag tops as they are applied.

The method of applying the protector to the flour sack is simple. After the top walls have been gathered into the bundle, as at l2, the protector is inverted and slipped over the bundle, completely surrounding and enclosing the same to a point below that at which the cord is to be tied. Thereafter the cord is tightly Wrapped around the outside of the protector in the manner heretofore used for tying unprotected flour sacks, and then tied tightly in the usual manner by the usual millers knot. Thus in the oper'- ation of closing the flour sack there is only Vtlie step of placing the protector over the sack that diifers from the ordinary and heretofore used method of closing and tying such bags.' The resulting structure is a flour sack that is completely protected against the entry of foreign matter of any sort into the open top of the tied bundle of gathered Walls and the completed package is not onlymore sanitary land-protected against loss by reason of spoilage through entrance of foreign matter, but is more sightlyand attractive in-appearance than bags not so protected. i

YIn Figures 5, 6; and '7, a modified form of protector is illustrated. In this modification a strip 2| Vof material of the same variety as described in connection with the separate protectora-is secured to the tops of the Wall surrounding the mouth of the bag and extending above the tops of these Walls. These strips are intended to-be applied to the bagsbefore the'latter are filled. When the latter'are filled, they are subjected to the following closing-operation.Y First. thev ends of the structure formed by the strip, are pulled outwardly at their central portions, as at 22, until the side portions 23 lie closely adjacent and parallelto eachother, as indicated-inv Figure 6, this resulting in thestrip being formed into. two closely adjacent parallel reaches. Thereafter the continued portions of the Walls formed by the strips 23 are folded over to one side of the closed mouth of the bag and extendingdownwardly along the wall on one side of the mouth of the bag and parallel thereto. Thereafter the foldedover portion, as Well as the upright portion of the Wall, surrounding the mouth of the bag, are gathered into a bundle in the same manner as has been customary to gather the walls surrounding the mouths of flour bags, and thereafter a cord is Wrapped around the bundle so formed, and tied. It will be seen from an inspection of Figure 5 that a portion 24 of the strip overlies the mouth of the bag before the gathering operation, and When the bundle has been formed, this portion 24 will overlie its top. Therefore the top of the bundle will be completely protected to exclude entrance of foreign matter.

In both Vof these forms there is complete proj tection afforded to the contents of the sack and no material cost is added due to the inexpensiveness ofthe protecting members themselves and to the fact that there is no material addition to the operation of closing the bags.

rFrom the" foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention Will be apparent to those skilled in the art -without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit or sacricing any of the advantages of the invention.

AWhat I claim, is:

A package assembly comprising a bagmade of dust-proof material and having its walls adjacent its mouth gathered into a bundle, a protecting cap-like member of dust-proof deformable material completely enclosing the end portion of the bundle, the said member having a central portion overlying the end of the bundle and a skirtlike portion extending along the sides or the bundle to a point adjacent the inner end of the bundle, and a strand tied tightly about the outside of the protecting member and bundle at a point betweenr the endofV the bundle and the en d of the skirt-like portion of the protecting member.

ANDREW M. HALL. 

